You've heard me talk about Great Wolf Lodge, and the journey there, but I didn't go into the really cool awesome reason that we actually went there. We didn't go for the indoor water park, although that was pretty cool. We didn't go for the vacation, change of scenery, or awesome rooms, although that was really cool too. We went for Magiquest.Now, we played Magiquest in Pigeon Forge until we finally beat the sucker. It took several hours, which turned into days because of travel time and other activities (we always had to be back for farm duties), but it was SO worth it! We fell in love and went looking for other places to play. And that's when we found the one at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC. Now, if you don't want to stay there, that's fine. You don't have to.This is a really long post, but I have tried to make the headings stand out so you can skip to what interests you. There are lots of videos and pictures-enjoy!Pricing is as follows:1-You get four days of play, not per hour. Sweet!!2-Purchasing your own wand is $15-$17. Once purchased, your wand is usable at any other location. We used the ones we bought at Pigeon Forge.3-Toppers are another $15, and not all of them work at every location. Last I knew, none worked at the Pigeon Forge area. But here, several, but not all, did. Check with the shop keeper for the latest news and updates.4-Purchasing CompassQuest (at the Concord location) includes the Magiquest game (or at least it did when we went). So don't buy Magiquest if: you already have your wand, and you're playing CompassQuest. It's about $17 to play. You do need your wand to play CompassQuest, and you keep your compass, just like your wand.5-ShadowQuest is another $15. It also requires your wand. It is completely separate in items used, quests taken, and format. More on that later.The Basics (read this if you're unfamiliar):You use a wand. Here's a picture of the inside (Arlis cast his and the top flew off. It has been put back together and works.)​

You use it by literally swishing and flicking. A little ball in there tells it when you've done this, activating the technology to perform the "magic". Like so:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cskwvTds_FM]You are given a book for Magi and Shadow Quests. Let's start withMagiquest.This is your Ancient Book of Wisdom. It will tell you where to go and what to do.

If you click on the image below, you'll get a view of one of the first, and therefore easiest, quests. Each item is clearly located-Enchanted Woods, Enchanted Woods, Pixie Pines, etc. Great Wolf has 5 hallways. Each clearly labeled. As you progress through the game, the quests become harder, and the items more cryptic to find.

The items:I have a (very) few of the item here. A chest full or gold:

A cryptic picture (watch the pattern of the lit symbols to enter the red dragon's portal.)

​A mere word in a frame:

Your average ordinary picture that you have to find, only to hear it talk and see it light up different colors when you cast on it (cool!)

A talking lantern:

And a gem:

Again, having the flash on completely ruins the awesomey coolness of the game.The different areas:The separate hallways are as follows (and no, my camera didn't mess up. Each has its own colored lights in the ceiling.) It's really cool at night!!Whispering Wood:

This is the Forgotten Hall. It spans two hallways with a turn. It isn't a particular color and is much better at night.

The second half of the Forgotten Hall

Tangled Wood:

Piney Path:

​Enchanted Wood:

The Quests:Starting each quest requires you to visit the hub. At Pigeon Forge, it's tall stones. At Great Wolf Lodge, it's four trees. As such:

There you can start a quest, get status updates, etc. You don't have to watch the intro video to each quest, just touch the screen and it will skip to just the basics, icons, descriptions, and their order. Sometimes the order matters. Sometimes it doesn't. You cannot skip ending sequences, aka rewards. Also, you may often find that when you finish a quest, the tree still thinks you're on it. Exit (click Done), and recast. Now you can start a new one.Endings take you to portals, some big, some small. Here's a small one:

I know it's hard to tell, sorry about that, but that's an owl. He's asleep, but if you cast on him, he wakes up. Now, if you're not ready to finish a quest, you can still use an ending portal to check your status and see what you're missing on your current quest, but you cannot change the quest you're on. That can only be done at the hubs.If your quest ends more dramatically, you may get one of these:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzZoWw4TFeU]Each of the big screens does several endings, depending upon which quest you're on. This one alone did that lady, a fairy, and a bear.The Adventures:After the quests come adventures. Adventures require certain runes to complete. These runes are earned by completing the quests. Each location has different adventures, but you usually have the red and silver dragons.The Dragons:In order to enter the red dragon, you have to know the key to his portal (this player is not doing it correctly, but it does give a good example of the layout of the place:[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R0i4FkV-kI]Again, this player is not fighting the red dragon properly, but this also gives a good example. Your health is on the left, his is on the right. There are walkthroughs all over the net for this stuff, so I'm not going to post it, but I will be happy to answer any questions you have in the comments below. You will notice that you choose your spell on the touch screen, and then cast on the dragon. The order and timing are crucial.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIDL_zyo5U]Now, after the red dragon, is the silver dragon. This dragon is so difficult to kill, that few do. It's not that the adventure is hard, or that people just aren't capable, it's that the technology is often flawed resulting in long lines and tears of frustration. Arlis bought the red dragon topper for our wands. It will allow you to defeat the silver dragon without even having to finish the adventure. Just start the adventure, walk over to the dragon portal, and cast at the crystal, and then the MQ, and there you go! I do not recommend keeping toppers on your wand. Once they are activated, you can switch between them at the Magiquest or Compassquest hubs. The toppers are heavy and wear the wand out faster, making it work less often. Activate them, take the off, and replace with the original topper. Trust me.The dragon portal!

Defeat of the silver dragon (btw, I did defeat the silver dragon at Pigeon Forge, so I have earned my stripes :) ):[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSS1H8OHB9Y]Tips:While playing at the one in Pigeon Forge, I felt awkward, like I wasn't supposed to since I was adult. Not so here! Adults all over the place, either with their own wand or completely taking over their child's. Wearing hats, ears, capes. So fun!This is not a game for small children. If you have a small child, supervise them. There were too many left to roam unsupervised resulting in broken technology.Do not beat, smack, or hit your wand or any of the technology there. If it's not working, it's your fault. Do not touch the tip of your wand to anything. You must flick your wand to get it to work, not whack the screen with it. That's what the small children do. Imagine the consequences. If you're doing it the correct way, and it's still not working, please see the shop keeper.People there want to help you. Don't act lost unless you want help. Ask an adult for help, yes, an adult. The children are often confused and will give you incorrect information.Again, this is not a game for small children. They will enjoy running around making things react to their wand, but that's it. No quests. This is a game for tweens and up.I was hoping to get all three games in one post, but that's obviously going to be impossible. Up next, ShadowQuest!